Retribution
by PyramidHead316
Summary: In between Alessa's fight for survival in "Dark Descent", and the grotesque actions she finds at home, Alessa's surrogate mother finds herself fighting to reach her daughter safely, after the Order attacks their home. Cybil Bennett comes to help her. But together, they find themselves confronting an enemy more monstrous than anything they saw in Silent Hill. AU.


Disclaimer: Silent Hill is all owned by Konami, except for my original characters.

_AN: I'm starting a new story tonight! This will be a much shorter story than usual, only about 7 chapters in length, maybe 10. For those who have wondered, this is the story of how Julie and Cybil found themselves confronting the Executioner, once they met up. Because this is the story of them fighting the Executioner, this will pretty much be a chase scene through several chapters. I hope you enjoy reading, and don't forget to r and r! :)_

_This isn't a long, drawn out plot, so don't look too deeply into some of the things that happen here. ;)_

* * *

**Retribution**

Julie Summers woke up with in a cold sweat. Something was wrong. She felt it.

She looked over at the clock on her bedside stand. 9:37 PM. It was 6:15 when she decided to lie down for a while and take a nap. She yawned and stretched lazily, trying to get that tired feeling of just waking up out of her system. _Must have dozed off waiting for Alessa._

Alessa…

Suddenly her brain came to life. _Oh my God!_ She thought. Where was Alessa?

Julie practically jumped off the bed. She hurried to Alessa's room and knocked on the door.

"Alessa? Alessa, are you here?" No answer. She opened the door, and what she saw confirmed her fears.

There was nobody inside.

Julie's heart caught in her throat. More than three hours had passed since Alessa called her from the mall, to tell her she was on her way home. Julie knew her daughter better than anyone else, and she knew Alessa wouldn't have taken off for someplace else after doing that. Not without giving her another call, and if she didn't answer, Alessa would have come straight home and woke her up, to show that she made it home alright.

Yet she hadn't.

"Alessa?" Julie called out. "Alessa, are you downstairs?"

Again, there was no response. The feeling of dread in Julie's heart grew. She went back to check her bedroom phone for any messages. Maybe Alessa had called her, or maybe someone called for her. She shuddered to think of what the latter might mean for Alessa's safety, but anything would be better than the horrid apprehension building in her stomach.

She raced back into her room to check for phone messages. The first thing she did was pick up the phone to see if Alessa had left her any messages telling her where she was, only to immediately run into a problem. _Shit_, Julie swore silently. The phone was dead. It was cut. That was definitely a bad sign that something was up. Julie nearly slammed the phone down on the hook. She began to sit down at the computer, to check if Alessa had sent her any e-mails that were important. While waiting for the browser program to load up, a certain something happened that was most definitely unexpected. An audible sound reverberated throughout the house as the lights all went down. What the…? Julie immediately shot up to a standing position, looking all around the darkened room. Damn it, this was not good. What the hell was going on around here?

Suddenly, she felt an air of menace coming from somewhere downstairs. Someone was in the house.

Julie headed immediately for a room of the second floor. That was it. She wasn't taking any chances on this one. The room was one of the house's better kept secrets. Very few people knew about it, except for those close to them, and even then, it was a limited number. She went to the cabinet and grabbed the biggest gun she could find, and then took out another weapon. Her husband was a bit of a sword nut, although he only had one, but he had used many different ones in his time. The edge of the gleaming blade shone in the darkness, illuminating what little light there was in the room. Julie stared at the blade from the side as she held it, appreciating the fine layer of the craftsmanship that had obviously gone into it. It was only due to a slight shift in the air that was nearly imperceptible that she knew there was an intruder in her house, but Julie trusted her instincts. She took the gun for long range, and the sword for up-close, because she knew that she might have to fight in hand-to-hand combat. No matter how crazy it may have sounded, she knew that any intruder who broke into their house was probably not going to be a regular intruder, and she needed to be prepared. She chastised herself for a moment for thinking too much like her husband, but that influence wasn't easily shaken.

She wasn't a soldier, nor any kind of fighter, but she had something to protect, too. And she was not going to let anyone take it away from her. She would do anything to protect her daughter, no matter the cost. She would protect her own life as well, of course. She had only recently gotten her life back, and she had gone through too much and been through too much pain to let some stupid idiot who had broken into her house take that away from her, no matter who they were.

She crept through the second floor of her home, carefully observing her surroundings for anything out of place. In one hand she held a loaded 50 caliber Action Express pistol, while the other carried a flashlight. She knew the Desert Eagle had enough power to shatter a person's skull with a single bullet. It was as lethal as a gun could get. She prayed she wouldn't have to use it.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem a likely option at the moment. While working at her computer in the bedroom she shared with her husband, a disturbing feeling had suddenly sent chills down her spine moments before the lights went out. It could have been a coincidence, but checking the phone put to rest that idea. The line was dead, which meant her hunch was right and something _**was**_ seriously wrong.

And now the whole place felt…different. She hadn't seen or heard anything suspicious yet, but there was something…intangible, elusive, that didn't bode well. The air around her felt unnaturally cold for a summer evening. It was almost like reality itself had shifted into something else, something dangerous. Whatever it was, Julie knew it couldn't mean anything good.

Descending the stairs one step at a time, she made her way through the living room. As with upstairs, the power was also out. She could barely see a few feet ahead of her, much less try to call for help somehow. She didn't know whether the cars were still in working order, but she wasn't going to risk stepping outside until she determined whether it was safe.

A noise came from the kitchen. Julie peered into the darkness, but she couldn't make out any details this far away. She stalked in that direction ready to attack anything that came at her. None of the alarms had gone off, but that didn't mean anything. She knew a determined enough burglar could have ways to disable them, while other, much more dangerous assailants could bypass them altogether.

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears as she entered the kitchen. She moved as stealthily as possible, wanting to keep some element of surprise. A movement up ahead caught her attention. Aiming both her gun and her flashlight, she called out to whatever awaited.

"Whoever you are, show yourself!"

Seconds later, it did.

Julie held her breath waiting for a response, but she gasped as soon she got it. The intruder wasn't some burglar or rapist looking for a victim. It was not even human.

Shiny, plastic-like legs with bloody sneakers strolled towards her from the shadows. Julie looked for a head and found none. This creature had no skull or neck or arms, only another pair of legs sewed sloppily onto its torso. A disturbing growl rumbled deep inside the monster.

The creature rapidly approached her, its intentions clear by the sharp spikes lining the end of its upper legs. But Julie got over her shock and reacted accordingly. She fired three shots directly at the creature's chest. The bullets found their mark and the monster fell to the ground, breaking out in violent spasms. Not wasting any time, Julie withdrew the katana from the sheath on her back, and with a well placed strike, the prone body was promptly sliced in two. Unfamiliar organs spilled from within the two halves, staining the floor with a pool of dark blood.

A chill went down Julie's spine as she stared at the carcass of the creature she had just killed. Simplistic in its form, yet surreally disturbing, it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Her eyes narrowed. Something like this had no right existing in the real world, and she knew of only one place where it could have come from…

Without warning, the room was suddenly bathed in light as the power was apparently restored. Julie was startled as the lights came back on. What the…? Why would the lights go out and suddenly come back on? Was someone toying with her? It seemed like it was the only logical alternative. She cursed as she realized that she was alone in the house, with a potentially dangerous predator lurking nearby. At least she was armed. If there was someone here, whoever it was was quickly going to find themselves on the business end of her firearm, she thought seriously.

Julie crept along the hallway in her house. The home was deathly quiet. She moved slowly, not wanting to startle anyone there. The shadows passed her by as she moved through the hallway, quiet as she could be. Despite the lights coming back on, there were only a few of them that were actually turned on. She moved along stealthily, until she finally came to her living room. And standing in the middle was a pale blonde woman in a long black dress. The woman had long blonde hair that looked disheveled, and had the palest complexion Julie had ever seen on a human being. She wore a long dark dress that reached all the way to the ground and covered her entire body, and looked a little motheaten, to be honest. She wore nothing on her feet, and it was obvious she had walked all the way here.

"Ah, the pretender. You're finally here!" the woman announced in a sharply accented voice. The woman had a knowing look, and seemed to be expecting her.

"Who are you?" Julie demanded.

"My identity is irrelevant. It is doubtful you would recognize me anyway," the woman said disdainfully, looking from the black haired woman for a moment.

Julie grimaced to herself in response. It was obvious by the way she spoke and her general state of dress that the woman was a cultist.

"What are you doing here?" Julie snapped.

"You stole her away from us. You and that man you're cavorting with," the woman said while ignoring her completely, as if the question wasn't even worthy of a direct response. "She is our savior, the one who will usher us in a new era of leadership over the world. You have no right to intrude in our affairs, interlopers from outside. You had no right to take her away from us, and prevent her from carrying out her duty. She was my sister, and you took her away from us! Now you will face judgment for that. You are not her parents, and you have no right to control her life, taking her away from us. She will return to us, as per her true path in life, and birth a god that will deliver us to Paradise with her hands!" the woman ranted. She looked at a distant point past Julie, as though she wasn't really seeing her and was instead focusing on something else. She had the glazed look of someone who was fully confident in her convictions, and was imagining the possibilities of what she was about to help occur.

Julie felt her lip twist. So that was what this was all about. They wanted Alessa back for their cult rituals, and now they had invaded her home in an attempt to get Alessa back. She should have known what this was all about, ever since she had seen that monster. Why else would they show up here? She cursed silently at the Order getting the drop on them, and themselves for allowing the Order to find them. She had told Chris they were too close to the Order, and he had agreed, but they couldn't very well refuse a gift from her grandmother, could they? Why couldn't they just leave them alone? Still, if this woman thought they were just going to let her roll over them to get Alessa back for themselves, then she was sorely mistaken. She knew what Alessa had been through in that town, and there was no way they were going to get her back. She readied her gun in response.

The woman stared blankly. "What, nothing to say?" she scoffed mockingly, raising an eyebrow in response. "I would have thought you would have some false bravado to display, in the face of your imminent death. Perhaps people like you truly know they have no strength, not in the ways that count. You have no faith and don't believe in anything, except your own selfish desires. I almost pity you, were it not for your actions," the woman scolded her, as if she was correcting a disobedient child.

Julie ignored her. "You're not going to get Alessa from us. I know what you cultist bastards are going to do to her, and I'm not going to let it happen. Over my dead body; you'll have to kill me," she said vehemently, aiming the gun steadily at the pale blonde. She was deadly serious about this; she was fully prepared to kill this woman, if it meant keeping Alessa safe.

The woman tsk-tsked. "My, my. So self-righteous. You'd think you were on the side of right, instead of interfering with the plans of those who are the true caretakers of this world. You don't deserve to have her, and she is destined for greater things than you can imagine. You've done nothing but brainwash her with lies, turn her against us! She's done nothing but disgrace herself these past few years, trying to lead a "normal life", instead of leading the life she's supposed to lead." Her face turned angry, as if remembering something nasty. "How dare you corrupt her like you have, using her for your own ends?! She is a saint, and you've led her down the path of corruption, the same as the rest of humanity, for the sake of your own selfish ends! She was an innocent! Have you no shame?! Do you not realize what she is to us?" the woman cried out, looking severely distraught. "The thought of her cavorting like that…"

Julie nearly laughed at her. "Is that what's really bothering you? Alessa is living her life like a regular person now, and she doesn't care one bit about your god or your Order. She lives fully the way she wants to, not the way your Order deigns it. After all you've done to hurt her, you have no right to have a say in how she lives her life." She grinned a bit in a ruthless, amused way. "Is it that shocking? That she would turn her back on you and all your beliefs, after she realized what a pile of garbage they are and all the abuse and torment you've heaped on her throughout the years?" she asked acerbically.

She made a comment that raised the cultist's ire intentionally. Flaxen Haired's eyes went enraged.

A smirk. "Also, you're forgetting one thing: _I'm_ her mother. She chose me to protect her," Julie spat out viciously. "That hag-like wretch doesn't deserve to be called her mother," she said, taking a shot at her precious "Mother Dahlia", making the woman's eyes widen in rage. "I'm glad Alessa burned her alive, because if she were here, I would kill her here and now. Now get out, and I may just let you leave," Julie warned her coldly in a ruthless voice, raising her gun in a show of menace; a gesture which showed she was deadly serious. She was not going to hesitate in driving this woman out of her house, even if it meant shooting her in the process. One more life lost from the Order's ranks wouldn't make a difference; Alessa's life was more important, and that was what mattered.

A smoldering gaze. "You are a cruel, deceitful woman," the Pale Blonde said in low, measured tones. "How you think you are worthy of Alessa, and have any right to take her is beyond me," she concluded. Suddenly, she brightened. "Still, your judgment will come soon. They will not allow you to continue to seclude yourself here with their holy one. You will pay, for provoking powers you don't understand, and meddling in events you don't comprehend," the pale woman said confidently.

She played with a smirk on her face. "How does it feel, to know that you will soon meet your end, for all you have done to us? Judgment will be bestowed on you. And just as your husband has found out that one cannot escape your past, so too will you live to regret your actions in these last few moments. You are pretenders, and do not deserve to have been taking care of her!" she exclaimed.

Julie had been slowly moving close to her. She was startled at the mention of Chris, but she paid it no mind. She needed to keep her focus, so that she could pull this off, and not have it backfire on her.

She crept closer to the woman. "You have this all figured out, don't you?" she asked snidely, holding her gun steady. It was still pointed down.

The pale blonde was satisfied. "Of course. I had everything planned out before I arrived. You think I would have done so otherwise?" she asked in a self-satisfied tone. The smug confidence was evident in her voice, and it grated on Julie's nerves. "You will pay for what you did," she said.

Julie smirked. "And you think this will work, huh?" she said rhetorically. Keep her attention focused on her. Not her hands. It was obvious she was alone, and there were no other cultists in the house.

The woman smirked. "Our Lord will protect me. She will ensure you get what you deserve."

Julie smirked again. "Well then, I guess there's nothing else to do," she said, almost conversationally as she approached. Almost there, she thought. She was almost there to the right distance.

The woman fumed. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously. Her eyes narrowed questioningly. "You don't really think you can get out of this place, do you?" she asked haughtily, as if the mere thought was an impossibility.

Julie inched slightly closer. "I'm not thinking anything right now. Nothing at all," she said innocently, taking the final needed steps.

Blonde Woman's face shifted into a frown. "God will make you pay for what you've done. You will see your judgment in this place, Julie Gillespie," she said in a confident tone, almost sneering the last name as if Julie wasn't worthy of it.

She received a fairly small smile. Julie simply gave a relaxed look. "Perhaps I'm more resourceful than I look," Julie said. She knew it was time to strike.

She saw the woman stretch out her arm to send an energy projection, and immediately grabbed her arm in a vice grip. She ducked to the side to avoid the blast, and punched the woman several times in the torso. She viciously kicked the woman below the waist. Blondie doubled over in agony, and Julie brought her fist down over the woman's back. Rounding back, Julie inched forward and punched Blonde as hard as she could across the face, sending her spiraling down. The woman collapsed to the ground, having been knocked out by Julie.

Julie stepped forward a bit over the fallen cultist. That was intense; a bit of exertion done too quickly, but she had to do it. If she used her gun, there was a chance the woman would have deflected it with her energy. She wiped her forehead with her forearm in an exaggerated gesture, sighing a little.

She wasn't used to battling someone like this, but she would do anything to protect her daughter. She looked around the room, to see if there were any traces of danger lurking, but there were none of those signs. As she stepped around the fallen body, she wondered if there were any clues to the cultist's identity. She doubted the woman would have any I.D. on her, since there was no way she would carry anything that can be used to trace her to anyone else, but perhaps there was something else that was a telling sign. She turned the body over with her foot, looking at the façade of the unconscious cultist. She looked at her pale blonde hair, looked at the soft lines of her jaw, the soft lips, the pale surface of skin that needed some treatment. And suddenly Julie realized where she had seen those features before. The features were more mature, the façade weathered from years of abuse and torment, most probably, but there was no doubt in Julie's mind who this was. And Julie was left with her heart seizing up in her chest, almost, unable to breathe as the shock of who this was began to sink in.

No… _Claudia?!_

The face of Alessa's childhood friend peered up at her from the unconscious body. Julie looked again just to be sure, but there was no mistaking those pale memorable features, now that she knew what to look for. There could be no other alternative. Julie felt something twist painfully in her chest. Little Claudia, who had been one of Alessa's dearest childhood friends during that time. She was a little weird, with her devotion to the scriptures, but she was also a good person, and she came from an abusive father who almost made her own mother look nice. Julie had almost grown to care for her like another daughter, doing her best to keep her away from her traumatic family as long as possible. While they didn't know he was abusive at the time, she knew that something was not right with the closed-off family. Thankfully, the man was so obsessed with his role in the religion, he ignored the blatant attempt to keep his daughter as far away from him as possible. They had not seen Claudia in thirteen years, ever since her husband left Silent Hill. And now here she was attacking Julie in her home. The cult had completely brainwashed her to show her subservience. She was one of them. For a moment, Julie felt a strong pang of sympathy for the girl who had once been Claudia. Then she remembered how the blonde haired woman had spoken to her. Julie felt her lip twist into an unpleasant expression.

"Sorry Alessa, your friend's a bitch," Julie said with a sneer. Claudia may have once been Alessa's childhood friend, but she was now one of the full-fledged cult members of the town, and she was the enemy. Julie needed to get out of here and warn Alessa, that the Order was coming for her and she needed to be ready. She ignored the body and stepped around her, going to look out the window. It was dark outside, but there didn't seem to be anything amiss. That was something, at least. At least the area outside her house hadn't turned into a nightmare's version of a living hell. That didn't mean anything, though.

As she went to leave the desolate area, Julie was struck with a thought. What would happen if this cultist woke up and caused trouble again? It would be a long time until she woke up, but when she did? If she found out Julie had escaped and warned Alessa, she would tell the cultists and they would pursue them. They would never be safe. Not to mention, what Claudia herself might do to Julie once she caught up with her, the woman who had humiliated her and knocked her on her ass. No, she could not let this cult member leave this house. It was becoming startlingly clear, and it was an ugly picture that Julie did not contemplate. She could not let this cult member leave alive. It was too dangerous. The risk was too great, and Julie would only invite trouble for herself if she let her go. She had to take advantage of the opportunity while Claudia was down. And that led her to a conclusion she didn't relish having to make. She would have to kill her.

Julie aimed her gun slowly at the head of the cult member. She had never imagined it would come to this, but she had no choice. She had to protect her daughter. Her hands were trembling now as she aimed the gun at Claudia's head, holding it unsteadily in her grip. She had to do this, she had no choice. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the carnage that would result when she pulled the trigger. Claudia's face stared accusingly at her from the ground as if asking her what she was doing, even though she couldn't see it. Julie counted down in her mind, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. _One._ She pointed the gun shakily at Claudia's head. _Two._ She placed her finger on the trigger. Julie counted down the milliseconds in her head, more shakily than ever before. _Come on, get to three. Just do this…_ She was shaking all over, unable to steady herself. Oh God, she was… _Three._ And suddenly, Julie backed off. She looked away from the prone body.

No, she couldn't do this. She just couldn't shoot an unarmed person, no matter how much she wanted to. Alessa would never forgive her if she shot her childhood friend while unconscious, and even if Alessa understood why she did it, she would always hold it against her. The people she had shot before were always dangerous people who were going to cause her family harm, and they were always fully aware of her presence when she did it. She had never shot someone who was defenseless before. Even if Claudia was dangerous, she was completely defenseless right now. She knew how that would have sounded to some people, how stupid it would have seemed, but Julie just couldn't do it. She wasn't a heartless monster. For God sakes, she was a housewife. She had baked cookies for this woman when she was little. She had cared for her and protected her from her father, who was one of the worst bastards Julie had seen in the town. She had loved her, and considered her almost like a sister to Alessa. And now she was considering executing her like a common thief. She had to get out of here, before she did something she'd regret. No, she wouldn't sink to that level, no matter what strangers or anyone else might think of her.

She ignored the body as she passed by, as if it wasn't even there. The key was to consciously forget about what she had seen and just focus on more important things right now. She had to focus on what was important right now, and that was ensuring her daughter's safety.

Julie raced upstairs to her room to call Alessa. She pulled out the cell phone she kept for emergencies and frantically dialed Alessa's number. "Come on, come on," she said in a rush, waiting for the message to show up on screen. The awful feeling growing in her stomach intensified as she realized that she couldn't get through. There was no signal for the cell phone in the area. She couldn't contact Alessa.

Damn it, she was going to have to get out of here. She would have to escape from this place, go outside and look for Alessa on foot, in the hopes that she could reach her in time to contact her. She had no idea where her daughter was, but she had a general idea of where she was heading, so she should be able to backtrack that, and with any luck, meet her halfway. Julie grabbed a few more items and stuffed them into a backpack. The route was not one that she would have wanted to pursue. She had no other option. It was a risk. There was no telling what she would encounter there. If the Otherworld had infiltrated all the way here, there could be all sorts of monsters and hideous things lurking out there. She would have preferred to stay here in a safe spot and contact Alessa from afar, warning her to stay away and get to someplace safe, until they sorted this out. The Order had no idea where she was, so they would most likely be scouring the city with their agents in a blind search for her. That gave her a powerful advantage over them, one she needed.

While searching through a few items, she thought back to what Claudia had said about Chris. She had let Claudia believe she was dismissing it out of hand when she encountered her, but actually she was very worried about him. Chris hadn't been able to get in contact with her either, and that was cause for concern. She had no way to reach him either. She hoped he was alright. Her husband had lost her a long time ago, and she knew exactly what it had done to him inside. She didn't even want to imagine what it would do to her, if she lost him in turn. Still, she wasn't that worried about him, compared to Alessa. Chris was a resourceful guy, and she would just have to hope he knew how to respond to whatever they threw at him. Claudia was probably just trying to psychologically taunt her, by making her think they had captured him or something. That was what the Order did. They struck at your low point and then they tried to use that against you. It was how they operated. The real target was Alessa, and that was what Julie should focus her utmost attention on.

She looked back as she headed towards the door. It was likely she would never see this place again. Or if she did, it would be a quick stop to get their stuff, and then leave before the Order could track them. It would never be home again. The room was still painfully familiar in its furniture décor and assorted knick-knacks, and arranged family mementos, although that would change once the Otherworld got to it. She memorized every detail of the room, from the lines of the sheets of the bed, to the mahogany dresser and oak nightstands, the lines of the curtains, the books on the shelves, and the photos on the stands, wanting to have this one last mental picture of the bedroom as their home, knowing that the Otherworld would warp it into something unrecognizable as soon as Claudia woke up, and got angry when she realized what Julie had done. There, now that she had assimilated every detail of the room that had been their collective safe shelter for so long, she had no time to waste.

She left without looking back. Now that she knew her old life was at an end, there was no point on dwelling on it. She had always known her life here would come to an end, one way or another. She needed to find Alessa, and hurry to safety. All of these were just material possessions; they could be replaced. Alessa was what was important. She supposed she should say something pertinent to the situation, like _"Don't worry, Alessa. Mommy's coming for you,"_ or _"They are going to pay,"_ but she just couldn't think of anything to suitably lighten the situation. Only a confident, deadly determination that she was going to rescue her daughter from this nightmare, cult or no cult. This wasn't a joke. This was a very serious situation, and their lives were on the line. She had to move through this carefully, and if she didn't think things through carefully, they were going to be dead. She just hoped Alessa could hold out until she reached her. Sword strapped to her back, under the backpack, and gun in her hand, Julie headed out on her quest to prevent her daughter from falling into the hands of those who wanted to hurt her the most, and destroy the world around them.

She left without saying a word.

* * *

Cybil Bennett relaxed as she entered her living room, stretching her arms overhead. It had been a hard day at the precinct, and she was looking forward to an evening of just relaxing and enjoying her food in front of the TV. Sometimes she wondered if she was getting tired of being a cop, but Cybil loved to help people, and she couldn't see herself doing anything else. Still, it was a struggle sometimes.

She was still wearing her uniform. She hadn't changed out of it, since she had just arrived. It wasn't a major deal, and she was actually quite comfortable in it. She was a little sweaty, but nothing more. Truth be told, she actually loved sitting in front of the television and eating while she vegged out. It wasn't like she had much of a life, so she had no reason to dress nicely, or change quickly. It wasn't like she had anyone to go home to. Why should she dress nicely?

Cybil sat down for her nightly ritual, to go over some of the files and documents the precinct had given her to look over. She sat the folders, files, and papers on the table, staring at the large mound. Some of it was just stuff she hadn't gotten the chance to go over earlier, others were ones the department had given her to go over, and some were just things she had put off doing for a while. She frowned as one of the papers caught her notice for some reason. She didn't know what the message was, but it seemed important for some reason. She frowned as she began to read the message, skimming her eyes carefully over the lines of text.

Several minutes later, there was still no sound in the household.

Cybil stared at the communication she had intercepted. It was a communication they had intercepted from two suspects who appeared to be engaged in suspicious activity, and were being monitored by the department. They weren't thought to be outright dangerous, but it was still something that required attention. Cybil stared at the lines of text on the message, reading them over and over as she tried to comprehend the image she was seeing. It was short, simple, and to the point. And utterly disturbing. _We have found the Holy One. Move to intercept quickly. Time is of the essence._ Cybil stared at the lines of text, trying to disbelieve what she was reading. _Oh God._ They had found her. This couldn't be true, it just couldn't be. They had found her. She didn't want to believe it. Damn it.

This wasn't a bunch of criminals. This was the Order, and they had found Alessa, the target they were seeking. They were coming for her, and they had somehow ascertained the location where she was right now, despite all the secrecy and attempts to keep her arrival there a secret. The criminals passing along the communication were probably agents of theirs, and they had probably hired detectives to ascertain her location. It was the only way they would find her. She was in danger, and they were probably getting ready to take her to the town, so they could infect her with the Order's God again, and continue on with their plans. Plans that Cybil knew were dangerous to everyone around them. She had seen enough of it in the town firsthand; she didn't need to have everyone else see it, too.

Cybil shot up to her full height. She needed to warn her. She grabbed the phone on her nightstand, and frantically dialed the number to Chris's house she had memorized. No response. There was nothing coming up on the other end. Next she tried the cell phone she knew was for emergencies. Nothing again. There was no way to get in touch with them. The other option was to call 911, and see if they could contact the family. If they couldn't, they would send police there to check on them. Cybil would go in after them. If they were all right, Cybil would be reassured. If there was something amiss, she would have plenty of backup for whatever awaited there. However, once again there was no response. Finally, she tried the department on a last attempt, but there was no response there either. Damn it! What the hell was going on here? Cybil slammed the phone down, feeling angry frustration running through her veins as she stood there. She needed to warn a family of danger, and needed to reach 911, and the police, or her friends at the precinct, and she couldn't reach any of them! A thought occurred to her. She was afraid the Otherworld may have gotten to her, but she dismissed that thought out of hand. There would have been something else off that she would have noticed if they had.

Cybil paused for a moment, frozen as she panicked. What was she going to do? She needed to warn her (_loved ones_) friends of what was coming her way, but they were several hundred miles away. She had no way to contact them, and she urgently needed to send them a warning. Cybil took a moment to reflect on the situation, mulling over what she knew of Alessa's family. Chris was not at home right now, having gone into an investigation on his own. She had heard of an investigation going on in a nearby town, and somehow she knew that he was involved. The only person who was at home was Julie Summers, Chris's wife. Over the past couple years, Chris had brought back his wife from the deceased, and she now resided with them. Cybil didn't even want to know how he did it. She preferred to stay far away from the black magic of the town, and how it disturbed her. If Chris wanted to dabble in it, that was up to him. She now stayed with them at their home, helping with taking care of Alessa. Cybil had never met Julie before. She only knew the woman was supposed to be open minded, somewhat younger than expected, and with a penchant for annoying Alessa while treating her like a beloved child. Whether Chris had told her anything about Cybil, or whether Julie even knew she had kept in contact with them, Cybil had no idea. She had never thought to ask anything about the other woman, and the other woman had never asked anything about her in turn. Cybil thinned her lips in a thoughtful expression. Well, she was going to meet her now. She just hoped the woman was receptive to her intrusion. Showing up at the Summers' house, announcing herself as Alessa's friend without any prior mention; Cybil could see why Julie might be suspicious of her, not wanting to give her any control. Even if she was, though, Cybil had learned how to handle stubborn people. It was part of her job.

Cybil ran back through her living room to her anteroom. She grabbed her leather jacket along the way, wrapping its warmth comfortingly around her shoulders and arms, and zipping it up. She hadn't even showered or changed; she was still wearing her sweaty police shirt, gloves, black leather pants: the stereotypical outfit of a motorcycle cop. She was a mess; but that didn't matter now. She needed to get to that house, and warn Alessa of what was to come. She rushed through the entryway of her house, barreled past the front yard, and went for her motorcycle. She kept the bike right out front, in case she needed to go somewhere quickly.

Cybil climbed onto her motorcycle. She adjusted the gloves on her hands, and gave a quick look-over at the bike to see if everything was alright. She paused on the bike, going over the situation while gripping the handlebars comfortingly. She was going to fight the Order again. The most dangerous group she had ever encountered in her career as a police officer, and she was going to confront them head-to-head. Cybil sighed as the reality hit her. She was too old for this. Chasing monsters and cult members, demons; rushing off in the middle of the night to stop an attack on innocent people who had already been through enough. Being a cop was one thing, but these guys were on an entirely different level. Still, she wasn't going to let it stop her. She had innocent people to rescue, and she wasn't going to let these godforsaken cultists get to them first, no matter what. She put on the helmet, checked to see that she had several clips for her gun in her belt pockets, and slipped on a pair of sunglasses under her helmet. She was going to have to drive quickly. Cybil inserted the key into the ignition and started up the engine, grinning at the familiar sound of her baby coming to life, as always. With determination pouring through her veins, Cybil roared off into the night, determined to stop this decrepit order from committing yet another atrocity no one would be able to answer for. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

_AN: A hard kick to the groin can actually disable a female, if it's right on target. A former friend of mine accidentally got hit there once, and she said it hurt like hell. And this was a brutal snap kick from Julie. Julie is not a soldier, but like Alessa, she also has some muscle to her. Chris taught her some self-defense moves, so she knows how to fight. She was also trying to humiliate Claudia, probably. She had gotten pissed off with the cultist's rantings. She also knew the cultist has some power, being a member of the Order, hence the energy projectile. ;) Even without her exact identity, she knows what they're capable of. ;)_

_The Executioner still hasn't appeared yet. Don't worry, he's coming soon. I'm just giving the story some time to build, before diving headfirst into the chase scene._

_Incidentally, that mannequin isn't here because of Claudia. It's here because of Julie. ;)_


End file.
